News for 02 April 2021
All the news for Friday 2 April 2021
2021 Test match BEL v FRA (M)
Antwerp (BEL)
1 Apr 2021 BEL v FRA 5 - 0
FIH Match Centre
Germany ready to take on the Olympic Champs
Kais al Saadi is the Head Coach to the German national team. Since taking over the reins in November 2019, the former coach to the German women's national indoor squad, has been shaping a team that plays fast, controlled attacking hockey while maintaining a strong and disciplined defence. The German team’s performance against the Netherlands in the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier in March sent a very clear message that Germany are on track for a strong showing in all competitions this year.
We caught up with al Saadi at the end of a long trip from Germany to Argentina. The German men’s national team will face Argentina in two FIH Hockey Pro League matches in Buenos Aires on 3 and 4 April.
Following two exceptional games against the Netherlands, what are you looking for from the team against Argentina?
Kais al Saadi: We were obviously very happy with our team performance against the Netherlands but there is lots of room for improvement and it was just a snapshot of this phase. We will keep on working, especially the penalty corner conversion – that was poor. We were also not happy with our performance against the high press, particularly in the second game. These are things to look at.
What have you identified as the main strengths of Argentina and how will you counter these?
Kais Al Saadi: Argentina are obviously the reigning Olympic champions and therefore they have many strengths. It has always been tough to play them, due to their physical approach and the aggressiveness, which is very high. It is always a challenge for us to play Argentina and we will have to show great unity and a good team defence performance if we are to stop the very fast and skilful attackers they have [within their ranks].
How will you set about keeping the momentum going over the next few months?
Kais Al Saadi: Keeping the momentum will be crucial for us, especially during this situation, which hasn’t been easy for anyone around the world right now. We are executing a de-centralied system so I didn’t really see the team since Amstelveen [where Germany played the Netherlands in the FIH Hockey Pro League], so I will be starting again, not totally from scratch, but that is okay. I will be looking to push the team even further.
What are the key outcomes – apart from two victories – that you would like to get from these next two matches?
Kais Al Saadi: Our main priorities for this trip to Argentina are, number one, getting everybody safely to Buenos Aires and back, and secondly, to see how deep the quality in the group really is. I will be missing quite a few very experienced players who are in action for their team in the upcoming EuroHockey League. So we will be bringing in fresh blood, a few young players, not too experienced but very talented, very skilled but they have yet to prove they can fit in this campaign and this group. On the other hand, I expect my more experienced players to lead them, and generate a great team atmosphere where good team performances can be built.
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EHL Women's inalL4 – The big preview
EHL Women – presented by ABN AMRO – will make its long awaited debut this weekend with four teams battling to become the first ever women’s champion in this new #EquallyAmazing format.
First announced in October 2018, it has been a long journey to finally take the field with the pandemic pushing back EHL Women’s debut two times but we are now ready for what promises to be a spectacular weekend of club hockey at its best.
The historic first match features Spanish champions Club de Campo against Germany’s 2018 and 2019 winners Der Club an der Alster. Then it is the Dutch classico between its two biggest rivals – AH&BC Amsterdam and Den Bosch.
Here, we take a deeper look into what to expect from the two battles:
Saturday, April 3 (all games at Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen)
Match 1: Club de Campo de Madrid (Spain) v Der Club an der Alster (Germany), 11.30am (CET)
The first ever EHL Women’s contest is also a first ever meeting between these two clubs outdoors but there will be plenty of knowledge of each other due to the high volume of international talent between the two squads.
Campo feature 10 of the latest Spanish women’s squad named in March with the Barrios twins Laura and Sara joining experienced heads like Bea Perez, Maria Ruiz, Begoña Garcia, Alicia Magaz and Maria Lopez.
The side is captained by Rocio Gutierrez, now 35, who signed off iher nternational career outdoors with a World Cup bronze in 2018. She says she feels “fitter than when she was 20” but she is keeping cards close to her chest about whether this will be her last season, saying: “If this is the first and last EHL for me, I don’t know!”
Club de Campo
They are coached by Edu Aguilar who was at the helm when the side won bronze in the old EuroHockey Club Cup in 2015 and 2018. He is hoping it will be third time lucky and he has plenty of EHL pedigree. His last game as a player for Campo was in the 2011 EHL GRAND FINAL for Campo, losing 1-0 to HGC.
Campo come into the contest with an unbeaten league record, winning 52 out of 54 points on offer in the Iberdrola League.
For Alster, their only outdoor EuroHockey Club Cup appearance ended in a bronze medal, brilliantly coming back from 1-0 down to defeat Den Bosch in the third/fourth place playoff in the 2019 competition.
The Hamburg club had a tough pre-Christmas run in the Bundesliga but they have been superb in their three games in 2021, beating Rot-Weiss Köln 4-2, Harvestehuder THC 2-0 and Rüsselheimer HC 5-0, all away from home.
While they still third in their section of the league, it has reignited their hopes of making it three successive German titles having made the breakthrough in 2017/18 and backed that up in 2018/19.
Anne Schröder is a guiding force in midfield while top scorer Hannah Gablac knows the route to goal. Carlotta Sippel is their rising star, the 19-year-old drag-flicker giving them penalty corner power. There is a Scottish flavour too with goalkeeper Amy Gibson and new arrival from Edinburgh University Laura Swanson in the line-up.
Alster coach Jens George has an idea of what to expect, saying: “They are technically very good, internationally experienced and strong in their duels. Above all, their switching play is dangerous. There is no such thing as easy in a European semi-final! Two years ago we made the mistake of thinking we were in the final already when we took on the Spanish representative [Real Sociedad] at the time. We will definitely not make the same mistake again! “
Factfile
Club de Campo
EuroHockey Club Cup (15 appearances): Silver medal: 2008; Bronze medal: 2015, 2018
Iberdrola League position: 1st, six points lead over Junior FC
Current internationals: Sara Barrios, Laura Barrios, Carmen Cano, Begoña Garcia, Maria Lopez, Alicia Magaz, Candela Mejias, Bea Pérez, Maria Ruiz, Alejandra Torres-Quevedo
Top scorers: Laura Barrios 15 goals, Begoña Garcia 11 goals, Carmen Cano 9 goals, Sara Barrios 8 goals
Preview interviews: Bea Perez & Laura Barrios
Der Club an der Alster
EuroHockey Club Cup (1 appearance): 2019 Bronze medalists
Bundesliga: 3rd in Group A of Bundesliga
Current internationals: Kira Horn, Hannah Gablac, Anne Schröder, Lisa Altenburg, Carlotta Sippel, Viki Huse, Hanna Granitzki – all Germany; Amy Gibson Laura Swanson for Scotland
Top scorers: Hannah Gablać 9 goals, Carlotta Sippel 8 goals
Player interview: Amy Gibson
Head to head: first meeting
Match 2: AH&BC Amsterdam v HC ’s-Hertogenbosch
The Dutch classico, between them, these two clubs combined to win 30 EuroHockey Club Cups wince the competition was introduced in 1974 with host club AH&BC Amsterdam landing 14 of them and Den Bosch holding a record 16.
Amsterdam are slightly behind on that front but they did cut that gap back in 2019 when they edged out Den Bosch in the semi-final 1-0 before winning the cup title with a 7-0 success over Real Sociedad with Marijn Veen scoring a hat trick. Since then, the likes of Charlotte Vega and Kitty van Male have retired while Kelly Jonker moved on to Pinoké.
It has opened the door for some rising stars like joint top scorer Michelle Fillet, Joy Haarman, Noor de Baat and Floor de Haan to play a greater role. 2018 and 2019 FIH Player of the Year Eva de Goede runs the midfield while Maria Verschoor, Lauren Stam, Ilse Kappelle and Anne Veenendaal bring quality to each line. Up front, Freeke Moes has enjoyed a brilliant first season at the club since joining from Oranje-Rood.
Coach Robert Tigges is another with EHL know-how, playing in the competition 33 times in stints with HC Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
AH&BC Amsterdam
They currently sit top of the Hoofdklasse, three points ahead of Den Bosch but with a game extra played in the competition. Their January meeting saw Amsterdam win 1-0 with Noor de Baat’s fortuitous goal the difference.
For the Brabant club, they will be without Margot van Geffen due to a broken arm sustained during the big freeze in the Netherlands. Nonetheless, they have so much international talent in their line-up with a fearsome forward line including Frédérique Matla and and Lidewij Welten with speed and direct running the order of the day.
Laura Nunnink is another brilliant addition since moving from Oranje-Rood while Ireen van den Assem has a dangerous corner option in addition to her defensive work.
The tournament will mark the last European competition – for the time-being anyway – for coach Raoul Ehren who will take on the Belgian women’s job full-time after this season. He has been at the helm for the last 12 years, winning 13 Hoofdklasse crowns and 11 Euro Club Cups. He will be replaced by Marieke Dijkstra
Factfile
AH&BC Amsterdam
EuroHockey Club Cup: Winners: 14 times (first in 1975, most recent 2019), Silver: 1 time; Bronze: 6 times
Hoofdklasse (current standing): 1st place, three points clear of Den Bosch
Current internationals: Anne Veenendaal, Maria Verschoor, Marijn Veen, Lauren Stam, Eva de Goede, Freeke Moes, Ilse Kappelle, Felice Albers
Top scorers: Michelle Fillet 8 goals, Freeke Moes 8 goals
Player interviews: Lauren Stam, Ilse Kappelle
Den Bosch
EuroHockey Club Cup record: Winners: 16 times (all since 2000), most recent in 2018; Silver: 2 times
Hoofdklasse: 2nd, trail Amsterdam by 3 points but with a game in hand)
Current internationals: Sanne Koolen, Marloes Keetels, Lidewij Welten, Frédérique Matla, Ireen van den Assem, Pien Sanders, Laura Nunnink, Josine Koning, Margot van Geffen
Top goalscorers (Hoofdklasse): Matla 15 goals, Welten 9 goals
Player interview: Laura Nunnink
Recent head-to-head
January 31: Den Bosch 0 AH&BC Amsterdam 1 (Noor de Baat)
2019 Euro Club Cup semi-final: AH&BC Amsterdam 1 (C Vega) Den Bosch 0
EuroHockeyTV platform to broadcast all eight games for €9.99 (click link for info)
For further Where to Watch details, click here
Euro Hockey League media release
Newcomer Natasha making waves
By Jugjet Singh
Natasha Shafikah Nasharuddin
Natasha Shafikah Nasharuddin has earned the right to dream big on the artificial pitch.
The 19-year-old midfielder from Kuala Pilah, playing for the first time in the Malaysia Women's Hockey League for debutants Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) Ladies, has caught the eyes of national selectors.
UniKL coach Roslan Jamaluddin said Natasha combined well with the senior players, and he has used her in all seven matches so far.
"She showed maturity in her game despite making her debut in the league. I believe she has a chance of playing for the nation as well," said Roslan, who is also the national women's goalkeeping coach.
Natasha, a student of Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) and the second of five siblings, said she never expected to be selected for UniKL.
"The only experience I had was playing for Melaka in the Razak Cup last year as Negri Sembilan did not enter a women's team.
"I received a call-up for selection with UniKL last December and after a two-day trial, I was surprised to be picked to play.
"We made a memorable debut by winning the League title and are now just one match away from claiming the Vivian May Soars Cup," said Natasha whose father is a mechanic and mother a housewife.
UniKL won all their five league matches by scoring a whopping 34 goals and conceding just two. In the two-leg semi-finals against Sabah, UniKL won with an impressive 11-0 aggregate - the first leg 8-0 and return leg 3-0.
Roslan's ladies will face Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UniTen)-KPT in the final on Saturday.
UniTen qualified on the "away goals" rule despite a 4-4 aggregate tie against Police Blues Warriors.
New Straits Times
National women’s hockey c’ship to be held in Karachi
KARACHI: The national women’s hockey championship will be held in Karachi at Abdul Sattar Edhi stadium after Ramadan, and the third phase of Pakistan junior team’s training camp will also be organised in Karachi, ‘The News’ has learnt.
Informed sources said that the national women’s championship was likely to be organised in Karachi in May- June period. All units of PHF women wing are expected to participate in the championship.
It was also learnt that the third phase of the Pakistan junior team’s training camp would also be held in Karachi, but its schedule would be decided later.
The sources said that only two months are left before the Junior Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh from June 1-10.
The sources said that PHF regularly organised domestic events and majority of Pakistan senior and junior team members participated in these competitions. These days the players of both senior and junior strings are representing their departments in Chief Minister Baluchistan Gold Cup.
In Ramadan, another big domestic event will be organised in Gojra in floodlights.
The sources said that due to the third wave of Covid-19, it was not possible to arrange matches for the junior team against any foreign team.
The PHF has decided that after Gojra tournament, seven to nine matches would be organised between Pakistan senior and junior teams so that junior boys learn by playing against the seniors. They have to compete against such strong teams as Japan, India, Korea, Malaysia and China in Junior Aisa Cup.
The sources pointed out that some junior players have already been with the senior team. Therefore, they are not unaccustomed to tough training.
After playing matches against Pakistan seniors, the junior team’s training programme would be completed and it can be expected that they would play outstandingly in the Junior Asia Cup and qualify for the Junior World Cup 2022, an official said.
Pakistan did not play the Junior World Cup 2016 in India because of the Indian government’s machinations.
The News International
SV Sunil’s Greatest Game: India’s heart-stopping final versus Pakistan at 2014 Asian Games
The Indian hockey team won the Asian Games gold after 16 years in South Korea. It was the start of good times to come.
By Rahul Venkat
Coming into the 2014 Asian Games, the Indian men’s hockey team was a mixed bag.
India had suffered a heartbreak when they couldn’t qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympics but won silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. They also made it to the 2012 London Games but finished last.
No longer was Indian hockey the dominating force in Asia, let alone the world.
All that changed at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea though. India beat archrivals Pakistan 4-2 in a shootout to clinch the gold medal, a victory which signalled their rebirth as the best hockey team in Asia.
Veteran winger SV Sunil was a key part of the victorious Indian hockey team and he considers the final to be the greatest match he has been a part of.
“I think that tournament would be at the top of my favourites list for the team. That final against Pakistan is the most memorable night for me, personally,” SV Sunil told the Olympic Channel.
High stakes
There was already a lot of anticipation at the 2014 Asian Games when both India and Pakistan were drawn in Group B in the preliminary stages.
The Indian hockey team began with a flourish, blanking Sri Lanka 8-0 and Oman 7-0 in its first two group games.
The third game provided all the drama as India took on Pakistan in a battle for supremacy in the group. India ended up losing 2-1 to cede top spot.
It was a tough loss, but it also helped motivate the team.
“After that match, all of us became even more determined to go all the way and win gold in the tournament,” stated SV Sunil.
The Indian hockey team quickly regrouped to beat China 2-0 in its final league game and qualify for the semi-finals, where India would play hosts South Korea.
A solitary goal from Akashdeep Singh helped India win 1-0 and seal a spot in the final.
Meanwhile, Pakistan had won all their group games and had their first real scare in the semis against Malaysia, which they eventually won 6-5 in a shootout.
The stage was all set for an iconic India vs Pakistan clash – two teams with a rich history in the sport - in the final. It was also the first time that the teams would face each other in an Asian Games final since 1966.
“It was our first Asian Games final after 16 years (since winning in 1998) and we wanted to take home that gold medal. It would also give us our ticket to Rio 2016,” recalled SV Sunil.
A heroic performance
The final began in the worst possible fashion for India after Mohammad Rizwan put Pakistan ahead in just the third minute.
“In a big tournament, not everything will go according to plan. We had to be prepared for anything and we had practiced well, playing out scenarios and adapted well to the match situation then,” said the winger.
It was a high-tempo clash from thereon, with both sides creating chances and late in the first quarter, SV Sunil himself missed a gilt-edged chance to get India level.
SV Sunil played a key part in the Indian hockey team's victorious 2014 Asian Games campaign.
India were then on top in the second quarter and the goal finally arrived just before the half-hour mark when Kothajit Singh smartly deflected in a powerful shot from Gurbaj Singh to make it 1-1.
Both goalkeepers – India’s PR Sreejesh and Pakistan’s Imran Butt - were then at the top of their game to thwart the respective attackers and forced a shootout.
It only added to the palpable tension at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium in Incheon.
India went ahead as Akashdeep Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh converted the first two attempts while Pakistan’s Abdul Haseem Khan’s attempt was saved by PR Sreejesh but Muhammad Waqas then scored to make it to 2-1.
Manpreet Singh then missed the third attempt, giving Pakistan an opening to level things up.
However, PR Sreejesh was quick off his line and then swept away Muhammad Umar Bhutta’s shot to keep India’s lead. It would prove to be the most important save of the night.
Birendra Lakra then put India ahead 3-1 but Pakistan’s Shafqat Rasool soon made it 3-2.
India’s Dharamvir Singh then confidently blocked the goalkeeper’s vision and slapped his shot into the frame to give the Indian hockey team its first Asian Games gold medal in 16 years.
“When Dharamvir scored that attempt, it was a moment of pure happiness because we had emerged on top after a neck-to-neck fight,” revealed SV Sunil.
It would also prove to be a defining moment for PR Sreejesh, who had once again come out on top in a major final against Pakistan after the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy which started his career.
“We showed incredible maturity to come back in that match. We did really well after that point too, we reached the Champions Trophy final in 2016 but lost to Australia in a shootout and also reached the quarter-finals at Rio,” he added.
“It was an enjoyable period for us.”
That event sparked an upturn in form for the Indian men’s hockey team as it won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games and reached a best-ever fourth in the FIH World Rankings.
India has also performed well at the FIH Pro League and will arrive at Tokyo 2020 as one of the medal favourites.
Olympic Channel
Weekend College Games: April 1 - 7
Another action packed weekend and week full of college games to follow! With more than 55 games (schedule subject to change) taking place follow along!
Maryland field hockey’s matchup with Iowa is the latest chapter in a longtime rivalry
Shane Connuck
Defender Riley Donnelly flicks the ball toward goal during Maryland field hockey's 3-0 win over Iowa on Oct. 11, 2019. (Julia Nikhinson/The Diamondback)
On Nov. 19, 1999, Maryland field hockey was locked in a 1-1 tie with Iowa in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament in Boston. The Terps had won the ACC tournament that year. The Hawkeyes were regular season Big Ten champions.
And in double overtime, it was Maryland that earned a trip to the 1999 NCAA championship match. Rachel Hiskins rattled her 18th goal of the season into the back of the cage, and the Terps felled Iowa.
They’d eventually go on to defeat Michigan in the championship and claim their third national title.
More than 20 years later, Maryland will meet the Hawkeyes for a pair in Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday and Sunday.
“We’ve had some great matches with them. I think back to the semifinal game in 1999 in Boston a long time ago,” coach Missy Meharg said. “I think back to that overtime game and just think about the resiliency of Iowa.”
Circumstances are a bit different as the two teams meet this weekend. Iowa (9-1) is the No. 2 team in the nation, according to the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association’s latest poll, where the Terps (5-3) checked in at No. 13.
Maryland is riding a three-match win streak and is coming off a bye last weekend. But the Hawkeyes’ stellar defense reminds Meharg of what she saw in that double-overtime battle in 1999.
“They always have a defense that is built around a battle,” Meharg said. “Goaltending is always so strong.”
This season, as Iowa’s defense has held its opponents to just 31 shots through its 10 matches, goalkeeper Grace McGuire has made 11 saves and has let in just four goals.
But despite the Hawkeyes’ dominance this season, their offense has netted a total of 17 goals through their 10 matches — on par with the Terps, who are off to a relatively slower start.
“They aren’t scoring a ton of goals,” Meharg said. “So Maryland’s defense needs to be very strong.”
When the Terps take the pitch Friday evening — their first match of the season to be televised on Big Ten Network — they’ll be coming off an 11-day layoff, their first match since defeating Indiana on March 21.
It’s quite the difference from November 1999, when Maryland had four days off after playing back-to-back matches against Lafayette and Old Dominion before the showdown with Iowa.
Still, this long break has been beneficial for the players as they prepare to face the Hawkeyes’ quality roster.
“[It’s] actually been really nice to have this kind of break so we can just really focus on getting outcomes,” junior Taylor Mason said. “We’ve been working a lot on footwork and individual defense.”
Maryland will face coach Lisa Cellucci’s squad at 5 p.m. Friday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Grant Field, named after Iowa field hockey founder and former women’s athletic director Dr. Christine Grant. It’s a chance for both sides to add another victory to their rich history, one neither team is taking for granted.
But regardless of what happens, the respect for one another will remain, fueled by years of competitive contests.
“What makes them so special is their discipline to the game even though they’re not in a laden hockey area,” Meharg said. “Their coaching staff is outstanding and it always has been; they have great, great pride.”
The Diamondback